Corpse flower that smells like rotting meat begins rare bloom in San Francisco

A rare flower that famously smells like rotting meat has begun to bloom in San Francisco. 

People lined up at the Conservatory of Flowers botanical garden to get a glimpse (and a whiff) of the corpse flower, as it entered the first of its two-day bloom on 8 July.

The flower, also known by its scientific name amorphophallus titanum or titan arum, is known for its distinctively pungent smell, which has been likened in the past to dead animals, rotten meat, eggs, sweaty socks, sewage and rubbish.

Sharing the news on social media, the botanical garden, which is in the city’s Golden Gate Park, encouraged people to come and see the phenomenon.

It said it was extending its opening hours in the day and into the evening on 9 July for as many people as possible to see the flower, which it has named Chanel.

The blooming process only lasts for a couple of days and will not occur again for another three to five years, according to the garden’s website.

Native to Indonesia, the corpse flower is known locally as bunga bangkai. It is endemic to the rainforests of western Sumatra.

When in bloom, the green exterior of the plant opens up to reveal a bright reddish-pink interior. Its pungent smell acts to attract pollinators such as flies.

After two days, the pointed structure in the middle of the plant – known as the spadix – withers and collapses, starting years of dormancy before the next blooming period.

Earlier this year, crowds gathered to witness a corpse flower bloom at Canberra’s Australian National Botanic Gardens in Australia. It was the first time the specific plant had bloomed in 15 years.

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An estimated 20,000 admirers also turned out to experience a separate rancid bloom at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney in late January.

The last corpse flower to bloom in San Francisco was in February 2024 at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), a research institution and museum.

At the time, people said they had moved work meetings and taken their children out of school in order to see the flower.